The strong and fearless Swiss and Germans originally carried these early weapons, although bastard swords soon became popular in other regions such as the British Isles and Europe. The term bastard undoubtedly comes from the fact that the sword, because of its design, has no legitimate claim to being classified as either a single-handed or two-handed weapon. The two-handed sword was a weapon developed for the use of the foot soldier and had became quite common by the early 1500’s. The combat styles developed for the two-handed sword were the particular specialty of the Northern European Cultures, with the Germanic nations being quite active in its development and use. This historically accurate Bastard sword is great for re-enactors. Antiqued finish.